Environmental control of confined spaces is generally accomplished through the use of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (“HVAC”) systems or through the opening of windows and doors. Generally, a thermostat is used to control HVAC systems, whereas a person is required for manually opening and closing doors and windows.
In general HVAC systems include a thermostat and temperature sensors for determining the temperature within the confined space. Users input desired temperature settings into the thermostat and when the temperature within the confined space is determined to be different from the desired temperature setting, the thermostat acts as an on switch for the HVAC system to bring the temperature within the confined space to the desired temperature setting. Likewise, when the temperature within the confined space is determined to be equal to the desired temperature setting, the thermostat acts as an off switch for the HVAC system.
Since the mid-1950's energy demand for heating and cooling buildings has risen. For example, approximately twenty percent of the electricity generated in the United States is used only for cooling buildings. As the demand for energy to cool and heat buildings has increased, costs to energy consumers have also risen. Additionally, pollution caused by the production of energy for heating and cooling buildings has also increased.
As a result of the increased energy consumption, pollution, and costs resulting from heating and cooling buildings, manufacturers and consumers of heating and cooling systems have placed a greater focus on energy conservation. For example, some users may attempt to limit their personal use of air conditioning or furnace systems. Additionally, some thermostats allow users to input different desired temperature settings for different time periods on specific days (e.g., when in a heating mode allowing the user to set a lower desired temperature setting for hours the user is at work) in order to reduce the overall operational time of their HVAC system. Further, the U.S. Department of Energy implemented the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) in order to regulate energy consumption by air conditioners. For at least these reasons, systems and methods which reduce the energy consumption required to control the heating, cooling, and humidity levels of confined spaces are important for decreasing energy demand, pollution, and consumer energy costs.